Method of making rails for printing-plates



w. e. IMLACH. METHOD OF MAKING RAILS FOR HUNTING PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 25, 1920.

Patented 0ct."4,'19 21.

' UNITED, .STA SPAT -1 WILLIAM (ifIiirL orI,orv BERWYN, ILLINOIS.

iirnrnon or Max ne RAILS FOR 'rnINrINe-PLArEs.

To all whom it may concern of Illinois, have invented certain new and" useful Improvements in' Method of MakingRails for Printing-Plates, of following is-a specification.

My invention relates to devices' for' usein connection with printing plates and particularly to amethod of producing the T- shaped-rails which are attached to the backs of curved multigraph plates.

It is customary in the production of plates of the character just described to provide undercut ribs which are secured to the backs of mimeograph plates in order to' adapt the plates for ready attachment to the cylinders employed in such devices. It has been the practice heretofore to form such ribs or rails of electrotype or similar soft metal such as is employed for backing the printing plates. It has been found in practice, however, that such rails are fragile and readily become bent and broken. An object of the invention here disclosed is to provide rails of this character having a suitable reinforcement by means of which the rails are strengthened and will resist the wear and strains incident to service.

In accordance with the invention here disclosed I construct these rails by first providing a suitably shaped mold and then electrolytically deposit a thin layer of copper therein. The thus-formed shell is then filled with soft metal to the proper thickness thus providing a rail having the characteristics described. Preferably the copper shell is formed with a relatively large number of adjacent groovesor in effect rail webs and after the soft metal is cast therein the shell is sawed along lines parallel to the rails, thus forming a plurality of T-rails.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein,

Figure 1 is a cross sectional view through a form of a mold;

Fig. 2 shows the same mold after a copper deposit has been made therein;

Fig. 3 shows the copper shell after the soft metal has been poured therein;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view, somewhat enlarged, of the bottom of the casting before the rails have been sawed up;

I specification of Letters Patent.

which "the Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the completed rails, and

' Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the printing plate to which the rails have been applied.

According to the method here disclosed I prefer to first forma mold 10 of wax or.

similar material, this mold having a plurality of rectangular grooves 11 therein. In a well known manner the mold is then electrolytically lined with copper, indicated at 12 in Fig. 2. The thickness of the copper shell thus formed will be determined according to the desired extent of reinforcement. Thereafter the shell 12 is removed from the mold and is filled with soft metal, indicated at 13 in Fig. 3, the thickness of which will determine the height of the rail to be produced. As shown in Fig. 4., there is formed a plate having a fiat surface on one side and on the other side a copper surface consisting of alternate grooves 14 and ribs 15.

Thereafter the plate is sawed along the lines 16, of Fig. 3, thus producing a plurality of the rails 17, shown in Fig. 5. These rails are thereafter out to proper length and soldered or otherwise secured to a plate 18, as shown in Fig. 6. The wearing surface of the rails; that is, the web and the underside of the head, is copper covered the harder metal taking the wear and suitablyreinforcingth otherwise fragile rail.

Obviously the shell'of copper may be formed in a manner other than that disclosed herein and similar results secured. I do not therefore Wish to be limited except as indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of making rails for plates which consists in providing a relatively hard Patented Oct. 4, 1921. Y-Ai pnation filedI October 25, 1920; Serial No. 419,297. I

metal shell having a groove therein, then then casting soft metal on said plate and filling said grooves, then cutting the plate and the adhering soft metal along lines parallel to said grooves and at a point spaced away from the grooves thereby forming T shaped sections having copper reinforcement on one side.

4. The method of making railsfor printing plates which consists in providinga mold having grooves therein, then electrolytically depositing 'a relatively hard metal in said mold and on the Walls of said grooves, then casting asoft metal on the hard metal shell and then cutting the casting and shell alongside of the ribs formed by the metal deposited in said groove, thereby providing a reinforced T rail.

5. The method of making rails for rinting plates which consists in providing a mold having grooves therein, then electrolytically depositing copper in the. mold thereb forming a copper shell having alternate r1bs and grooves, then casting electrotype metal'on one side of the plate thereby filling the grooves, then cutting the thusformed plate along linesparallel to but removed from the filled grooves thereby forming reinforced T-r'ails, v

6. A rail for use on printing plates consisting of a body of soft metal of T shape having a covering of harder metal at the,

the body of the rail being composed of softer metal. 1

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 22n ay" of October, 1920;

covered with copper WILLIAM: G. IMLACH." 

